This invention relates generally to the conversion of electrical power into mechanical power and more particularly in the use of magnetostriction to accomplish such purpose.
Magnetostriction motors are generally well known in the art and involve the use of an active element having magnetostrictive or electrostrictive properties, such as an elongated rod which undergoes dimensional change when magnetized by a field generated by electrical energization of a surrounding drive coil, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 2,105,479 to Hayes. The use of a plurality of such magnetostrictive rods interconnected in various arrangements are also known in the art, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,439,199 and 3,634,742 to Bergstrand et al and Edson, respectively.
The foregoing magnetostrictive motors transform electrical power directly into mechanical motion. In conventional electrodynamic motors, a unidirectional output exerting a substantial driving force is obtained by use of unwieldy and costly reduction gear boxes with an accompanying decrease in output speed. Such gear boxes are usually associated with undesirable backlash and friction creating problems in maintaining desirable performance.
It is therefore an important object of the present invention to magnetostrictively transform electrical power into mechanical unidirectional motion under high driving force without gear boxes and the aforementioned problems associated therewith.
Another object of the invention in accordance with the foregoing object is to more directly and efficiently convert electrical power into unidirectional motion by utilization of magnetostrictive materials.